Snap & Grabis a new puzzle game that feels like theHitmanseries with a heisting twist. The title comes from developer No Goblin, which previously producedRoundabout,and publisher Annapurna Interactive. I sat down with the game for a 30-minute demo during this year’sSummer Game Festand was left very impressed with the game’s fun, vibrant aesthetic, sense of silliness, and overall versatility in terms of player plotting each crime.
Set in a neon-drenched 1987,Snap & Grabstars Nifty Nevada, who at the start of my hands-on preview was being questioned by a detective over a recent art theft. Nifty, a renowned fashion and lifestyle photographer, had nothing to do with the crime - at least directly. Her career provides the perfect cover as well as the basic framework for each heist: Nifty infiltrates each area via her job, then photographs and organizes each step of the crime for her henchmen, who come in to execute the dirty work for her.
Snap & Grab: Like Giving Hitman’s 47 A Camera
My demo consisted oftwo different thefts at the same partyin the New York City loft of insufferably pretentious artist Erik Pop, featuring his bejeweled skull sculpture and a giant key held within an ice statue. Each instance of delightful grand larceny consists of three steps: snap, plan, and grab. Snapping is the research gathering phase, where Nifty will survey the scene, determine potential obstacles and their solutions, and examine photos for further clues that will help guarantee success.
In the second phase,players will then lay out each photograph in a sort of flow chartwith any specific directions, like whether to take or replace the object pictured. Once satisfied, Nifty will send in a team, which, in my demo, consisted of only one person; however, the team options will expand over time to retrieve the goods. However, unlikegames likeHitman, there are no penalties for crafting an unsuccessful plan; in fact, the entire idea ofSnap & Grabis for players to experiment with different options, with there being several correct solutions for each heist.
If the team goes in and is unsuccessful,players can reexamine their plan to see what went wrong. Did a guard need to be distracted? Was there too much of a crowd around the crime scene? There’s a lot to puzzle out for each scenario, and many different methodologies that can succeed. Much like 47, Nifty can sneak around more easily by stealing clothes for disguises, and although she isn’t committing murder, things like knocking out guards are sometimes an option. In general, though, plans tend to get much sillier thanHitman.
In the key heist, for instance, I first needed to distract the crowd on the dance floor, which I chose to do by taking the record off the player, but I also could’ve opted for something like putting on another record that would draw dogs into the room. Similarly, to extract the key from the ice statue, I opted to melt it with hot lights, but I could’ve cut it out or thrown the entire statue over the balcony. To thwart the guards throughout the demo, I employed a variety of methods, ranging fromshoving someone intothe pool to spilling food on them.
How Snap & Grab Stole My Heart
Growing The Criminal Crew & A Vibrant World Of Art To Steal
There’s more for players to do besides heisting, too, with each locale having special photography missions. I completed the one available in Erik Pop’s mansion, which consisted ofgathering a bunch of food scattered across the property and putting it in a fruit bowlto make an eclectic still life of fruit and hotdogs. These challenges will earn players stars, which in turn unlock special perks like camera flashes and loadout options, much like the ones used at the start ofHitmanmissions, but tailored toward grand larceny.
Though I only got to see one location and henchman during my demo,there will be many team members and heist localesfor players to explore throughout the game. There are dozens of missions total which will take Nifty to a myriad of unique places, like a combination art museum and aquarium and a bullet train that’s also a fashion show. The future team members teased sound like they have great potential, like a master of disguise, an expert conversationalist, and - my personal favorite - a cat burglar who is literally a cat and can fit into tiny places.
Snap & Grabreminded me of a combination oflast year’sCrush House, with its camera-based gameplay and neon aesthetics, andHitman’s versatile, creative crime committing. Considering No Goblin’s last project was about driving a constantly spinning limousine, it’s no surprise that this game also has distinct notes of silliness sprinkled throughout, from its heist planning to its characters. With so much potential for how each heist is pulled off, unique locations, and what sounds like a lot of room for criminal growth,Snap & Grabhas already stolen my heart.
